Improvement in marine-engine governors



1-. EVERDING. Marine-EnginaGovarnor.

Patented Sept. 28,1875.

I No. 168,147.

W M Z N. PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C

of the propeller and engine. l

U T D-f T T P TE T QFFIOEL;

o uEvERDINe, OF PHILADELPHIA, P NNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT INWMARINE-ENGINE GOVERNORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No, 168, 147, dated September 28, 1875; application filed August 30,1875.

excessive speed orQraciri'g? of the engine of a vsteam-vessel, due tothe elevation of the propeller-wheel out of the water by the pitching or fore-and-aft motions of the vessel in aheavy sea; to which end my improvements consist in; the combinationof a rock-shaft,a weighted arm or pendulunna valve inthesteam supply- I pipe'of the 'engine,-an d anatmospheric cock orvalvecommunicating with both ends of the cylinder, asihereinafter more fully set forth.

In sea-going vessels the pitching in aheavy seaway will from time totime raise the propeller partially or even entirely-out of the water, and, as at such intervals the resistance of, the water to the revolutions of the propeller is correspondingly reduced or removed, the engine, which works at its normal speed while the propeller is submerged, will be driven at greatly-in creased velocity by reason of the sudden diminution or withdrawal of resistance, and upon the subsidenceof the stern of the vessel its velocity will be suddenly and violently checked. Strainin g and breakage of theengine, shaft, and wheel are the results of this irregular action, and numerous expedients have been proposed to remedy these evil effects.

It is obvious that onlyan automatic and practically instantaneously-operating device can properly perform this function, and, so far as within my knowledgeand experience, the

mechanism heretofore employed has been, like the laborious throttling of the engine by hand,

deficient, in the respect that its operation was induced by or dependent upon, in a greater or less degree, an initial variation in the speed.

My invention provides automatic means for increasing and diminishing the supply of steam to the engine coincident with the fore-and-aft movements of the vessels, and proportioned in independent of the moving parts of the engine, and of the form or position thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central section ofthe after portion of a steamyessel havin gm y improvements ap plied; Fig. 2, a view on an enlarged scale of of the 111111 A of the vessel, tranversely to the keel,"and, by preference, in the engine-room,

An arm, B is secured upon the shaft B, and carries a weight or pendulum, B whichma'y be made fast at any desired distance from the center of the shaft by a set-screw orpin, b The-arm B is guided in its movements and its range of motion limited by a stationary segment, B A pointer may be placed upon'the shaft B to indicate upon a stationary dialplate, b the relative position of the 'arm B A shorter arm, 0, is secured upon the shaft B substantially at right angles to the arm 13, and has its free end pivoted to one end of arod, g, the other end of which is secured to a balanced valve, g, having its seat in a valve casing or body, G, in the steam supply-pipe k of the engine-cylinder K. A coupling, 9 should be provided for the purpose of adjusting the valve g in its seat by lengthening or shortening the valve-rod, as may be required. Athird arm,

D, is secured to the rock-shaft B, also substantially at right angles to the arm B its free end being pivoted to one end of a rod, d, the other end of which is in turn pivoted to the leveriof an atmospheric cook or valve, I, placed in a pipe, J, which communicates with the cylof the cylinder, and steam allowed to escape from the other.

If preferred, the cock I may be made without the opening to the atmosphere, and in such case it will act to establish an equilibrium of pressure on both sides of the piston.

The area of the regulating-valve 9 should be such as that, when open, it williallow of the passage of a full supply of steam to the throttle, and in marine engines of two or more cylinders a single regulatiu g-valve in the main steam-pipe will suffice; but a separate atmospheric cock and pipe should be applied to each cylinder, except in the case of compound engines, where they are only required for the low-pressure cylinder or cylinders.

The operation of my improved governor is due solely to the law of gravitation. Upon the elevation of the stern and propeller wheel of the-vessel by the fore-and-at't motion thereof the weighted arm B will move to retain a perpendicular line in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, and will consequently depress the arms G and D. The attached valve 9 and cock I will be, respectively, correspondingly closed and opened. The relative lengths of the arms B and (l are such that when the sternof the vessel is raised sufficiently to expose all, or nearly all, of the propeller, the regulating-valve g will be entirely closed, and

the supply of steam consequently shut off from the engine, and when the propeller is entirely submerged the valve will be .full open. Between these two positionsthe valve will be partially and proportionately closedthat is to say, with a small amount of protrusion of the propeller from the water only a small proportion of the steam will be shut off, and correspondingly greater proportions of steam will be shut off for greater amounts of protrusion. The oflice of the atmospheric cock I is, when opened, to establish communication between the atmosphere and the two ends of the cylin-' der, thereby admitting air on the exhaust side of the piston to impair or destroy the vacuum, and allowing the escape of steam from the steam side. The coclijs" set so that it will only operate in the extreme variation of movement of the vessel, and serves to supplement the action of I the regulating-valve.

Inasmuch as my devices have no connection with the moving parts of the engine, it will be evident that their action has no depeud- .cure by Letters-Patent- '1. The combination, in a marine-engine governor, of a rockshaft, a weighted arm attached thereto, and rock-arms, respectively, operating a regulating-valve inethe steam supplypipe, and an atmospheric cock or valve communicating with both ends of the engine-cylinder, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a marine-engine governor, of a devicefor destroying the vacuum upon one side of the piston of the engine, and allowing the escape of steam irom the other, substantially as set forth.

Y e JOHN EVERDINGr "Witnesses J. SNQWDEN BE L, GHAs. W. SCHUELLERMANN. 

